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After winning the Player of the Match award, leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi credited his preparation and team effort in the Rajasthan Royals' (RR) side's narrow six-run win over the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Bishnoi was the wrecker-in-chief as he claimed four wickets. Introduced as an Impact Player, Bishnoi tore through the GT middle order, finishing with remarkable figures of 4 for 41 in 4 overs. The leg-spinner got rid of opener Sai Sudharshan, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar and Rahul Tewatia, breaking the back of GT's middle order. This remarkable performance with the ball helped Bishnoi to earn his first Player of the Match this season. Reflecting on his journey, Bishnoi said during the post-match presentation, "It was a difficult season last year. When I miss my length, I get hit. I was trying to work on my lengths, and if anyone hits off those, then no problem. Mental, technical and physical (effort) all together. Had to bowl a lot of balls (to keep improving)." Speaking about his favourite wicket, he added, "The wicket of Rahul (Tewatia). He is a player renowned for such situations. If he had not been dismissed then, the match could have gone either way." Bishnoi also praised the collective bowling effort in the death overs. "The way Tushar Deshpande bowled, the way Jofra Archer bowled the 19th, it was a collective effort. It is a young team, and we hope to continue entertaining," he said. The 2008 champions held their nerve to secure a thrilling victory over the Gujarat Titans. Despite a valiant effort from GT's Sai Sudharsan and a late surge from the Rashid Khan and Kagiso Rabada with the bat, RR spinner Ravi Bishnoi's four-wicket haul proved to be the difference. The match went down to the wire as GT required 11 runs in the final over, but RR's Tushar Deshpande kept his cool and only conceded four runs and also took the wicket of Rashid Khan (24 runs off 16 balls), who combined for a 43-run partnership with Rabada (unbeaten 23 off 16 balls). With the win, RR now sit atop the IPL 2026 points table with four points in their two matches so far and a Net Run Rate (NRR) of +2.233. For GT, on the other hand, it marked their second consecutive loss and also the first time they faced defeats in the first two matches of the IPL season. (ANI)
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